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Explore the endlessly fascinating stories behind famous pieces of jewellery. Become captivated by the phenomenal gems that form deep within the earth's crust. Be inspired by some of the most incredible craftspeople and designers the world has ever seen. Join Matthew Weldon, CEO of Courtville and GIA-certified gemologist Alyce Ketcher on their gem pursuit as they use their unique knowledge, passion and expertise to illuminate the magical and mysterious world of antique and vintage jewellery. ...
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An Eberron Actual Play Podcast In the City of Sharn, full of commonplace magic, subtle powers, and ruthless criminals, anyone can make their fortune in one moment only to lose it and their life in the next. One small inquisitive agency tries to scratch out a living uncovering truth for anyone who’s willing to pay. The changeling Witz and the warforged Sevens are imperfect people in a city of perfect chaos. Will they bring justice to the city? Or will they find themselves torn apart by sinist ...
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Defining Movements: Victorian Period Pt. 3
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As we come to the end of our mysterious and magical pursuit through the Victorian period, we’re looking at an era that collectors are most likely to have pieces from. Today we’re exploring the Aesthetic Era, which was led by radical artists and designers who wanted to break away from the strict norms and traditional morals of the time. Matthew take…
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Defining Movements: Victorian Period Pt. 2
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As we continue on our mysterious and magical pursuit through the Victorian period, we’re taking a look at the mini-eras defined during the reign of Queen Victoria. Today we’re moving on from the Romantic era into the Grand era, which began with the sudden death of Prince Albert and was defined by advancements in technology, travel and ancient inspi…
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Defining Movements: Victorian Period Pt. 1
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One of the most well-known jewellery movements is defined by the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria. Having sat on the throne for 63 years, the Queen’s personality, life and interests inspired many evolving trends in the world. Over this mini-series, we’ll be taking a closer look at the eras of the Queen’s reign, with this episode focusing on the Ro…
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Courtville recently displayed at an incredible antiques fair in the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York and our very own Alyce got to check out an exhibition of one of the most prestigious art deco artists while on her travels. Tamara de Lempicka had a fascinating life, one that has now been made into a broadway musical. Her unique, standout style ha…
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One of the beauties of antique jewellery is that it can serve as a reminder of defining moments or movements in history that led to truly unique pieces. Today, we’re taking a look at the jewellery that was inspired by and created for the suffragette movement in the UK. These political pieces are some of the most collectible antique jewellery you wi…
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Unlike the fleeting trends of the modern day, antique jewellery comes from times of defined eras and movements that inspired many artists and makers. We’ve covered jewellery eras in a past series but we never got to dive into this incredible movement that shaped art, design, architecture and of course jewellery. Although sometimes considered an acq…
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We’re back with a very special bonus episode of our Royal Regalia: A History of Splendour series after a listener request for an episode on the crown jewels of Sweden. Sweden’s Kingdom has a history spanning over 1000 years. The protected jewel collection features some of the most impressive parures and tiaras you’ll ever see, including a bejeweled…
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We have come to the end of our special series ‘Royal Regalia: A History of Splendour’ and for our final episode we’re taking a look at some jewels close to home. Although you may not have known this country would have crown jewels, we’ll find out the history that led to their establishment, how they trace back to British royal regalia and the suspi…
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We’re just over half way through our short series, Royal Regalia: A History Of Splendour, looking at the stories and histories behind some of the world’s most famous crown jewels. Today, we look at a collection shroud in family spats and colonial controversy. The British Royal Family has always been subject to criticism and the history of their jew…
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We’re continuing on our magical and mysterious pursuit through the world of royal jewellery and this week, we’re talking about a collection of crown jewels that has been accumulating over many centuries. The Iranian National Jewels stand as one of the world’s most expensive and extensive collections in the world. Matthew and Alyce examine their tum…
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This season we’re taking a magical and mysterious pursuit through the world of Royal Regalia: A History of Splendour, a topic that has been long-awaited and requested many times from our wonderful listeners. In the first episode of this season we’re taking a look at a country with one of the most magnificent histories and royal jewel collections, D…
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For avid jewellery collectors it can sometimes feel like a piece finds its way to you without even having to look for it. That was certainly the case for Victoria Waller, a passionate and knowledgeable collector who received a very unique and special piece just a week after her mother passed away. Victoria shares the incredible story of how her nam…
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Collecting Antique Jewellery | What You Need to Know
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The world of antique jewellery is both magical and mysterious, and Gem Pursuit is always trying to help you develop your own understanding, and your collection! Whether you’re new to antique jewellery, or a collector trying to broaden your knowledge, Matthew and Alyce are bringing you the ultimate book to guide you. John Benjamin’s ‘Starting to Col…
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year and as a little gift from Gem Pursuit to you this festive season we’ve got a very special edition of Gem Trivial Pursuit! Matthew and Alyce go head to head to see who is the greatest quizmas master of all and not with some laughs, and questionable knowledge, along the way. Find out what year the Hallmark car…
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‘Tis the season and for our bonus episode of Season Eight Matthew and Alyce take a look at the history of gift giving from the Three Wise Men to Napoleon. Gift giving can be traced back to 40,000 years ago, with figures made of woolly mammoth ivory. From the thoughtful gifts of the three wise men, to one of the biggest rubies ever documented and ev…
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A picture tells a thousand words and long before photography, jewellery was telling the stories of the wearer, memorialising loved ones and even harbouring secrets. Matthew and Alyce take a journey through the history of imagery in jewellery and celebrate a craft that became a dead art thanks to modern technology. People were capturing memories thr…
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The value of gold has skyrocketed over the last number of decades, which makes it a limited and expensive material to work with. Matthew and Alyce share the unique ways this noble metal was crafted in the past and why many types of goldwork are now considered a dead art. Goldwork traces all the way back to ancient times but in this episode the focu…
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Given the time of year it felt only right to look at some of the what some might call the ‘creepier’ dead arts. Matthew and Alyce take a journey through hair art, teeth jewellery and taxidermy in this shiver-inducing episode. Although they’re not for everyone, we find out how these pieces were important mementos of times passed for people to rememb…
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In this episode Matthew and Alyce dive into the dying art of enamelling. Although it’s something we might all be able to find on items in our own homes, finding a skilled enameller who can create art to the standard of the past is next to impossible. Enamelling can be found in many forms and today we look back on the 2500 years of the art, hear abo…
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Lapidary Some of the unique art forms of jewellery creation are dying out thanks to modern technology and lack of training options Today we’re taking a look at the dying art of lapidary or gemstone cutting. Matthew and Alyce discuss the history of the art and why it has become so difficult to find modern masters of the craft, along with sharing the…
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To celebrate over 50 episodes of Gem Pursuit Matthew and Alyce are taking you through a journey of their top five episodes. It was no easy task deciding on our top five but you’ll hear stories of Godly gemstones, the lost city of gold and the brutal standards of one very famous jeweller. We’ll also be looking ahead to Season 8, which will be in you…
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Onyx has a long and fabled history and although many will (correctly) associate it with the Art Deco era, it was also an important gemstone at many other periods throughout history. We talk about how different cultures have viewed this gem and the way its colouration impacts upon this. We also discuss banding, Tutmania and sugary treatments... View…
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We celebrate our 50th episode with Matthew's favourite gem, that stone with the incredible, one of a kind play of colour that is Opal. Known as the pride of Australia, it's a gemstone Alyce knows pretty well but she talks about how her initial perception has changed since when she was a kid growing up Down Under. Listen to the end for the triumphan…
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Renowned for it's remarkable colour-changing properties and 10,000 rarer than diamond, Alexandrite is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary and sought-after gemstones on earth. Matthew and Alyce give an overview of the short history of the gem, provide some insight into it's fascinating colour change and, as usual, offer a few nuggets of insigh…
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Jade is a super versatile gem with a rich history and enormous cultural significance all across the world. Matthew explains the difference between toughness and hardness when it comes to gemstones while Alyce shares some more stories from her own cultural heritage and personal jewellery collection. www.courtville.ie A Tape Deck podcast…
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Long known as "the Great Imposter" due to the frequency with which it was mistaken for ruby and other more commercial gemstones, Spinel is nonetheless a rare, beautiful and durable gem that is especially prized amongst dealers in the antique jewellery trade. Famous Spinels discussed include the Black Prince's Ruby and the Côte-de-Bretagne in the Fr…
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This episode focuses on one of Matthew's favourite gemstones, Peridot. Alyce shares some some fascinating Polynesian peridot mythology and reveals why she'll never ever be able to forget how to identify Peridot! Matthew talks about a stunning piece containing Peridot which has mysteriously disappeared... www.courtville.ie A Tape Deck podcast…
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We journey deep into the gemological weeds in this episode to discuss the characteristics of this naturally colourless gemstone. We discover some of the history and lore of Topaz, the reasons why Topaz can vary wildly in value, as well as what to be mindful of when caring for your own Topaz pieces at home. As always, we will also be talking about s…
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Opaque, porous and relatively soft, Turquoise is an incredibly unique - and therefore highly-prized - gemstone and yes, you guessed it, it's all about the colour! www.courtville.ie A Tape Deck PodcastBy Matthew Weldon
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The latest edition in our Gemstone saga is about one of the rarest and most diverse gemstones in the world - Tourmaline. A gem of many colours, Tourmalines have been misidentified as emeralds, rubies and diamonds down through the centuries. We discuss some of the most famous Tourmalines in history and, as always, discuss the ins and outs of identif…
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The purple gemstone - Amethyst - has long been associated with royalty, aristocracy and clergymen. In this episode we discuss the story behind its glory days as one of the big five "cardinal" gems as well as the reasons why this all changed in the 19th century. We'll also give you all the tips and tricks you need to know about this popular purple g…
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The Gemstone Series is back with a bang! We return to our roots to discuss the incredible gemstone known as Aquamarine. As always we discuss the history & lore of this beautiful blue stone as well how to identify and value the gem. We also bring you stories of some of the most famous and interesting Aquamarines in history, as well some trade tips f…
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To celebrate 40 episodes of Gem Pursuit, we decided to go back to our roots and record an old school, just Matty and Alyce episode! This is a special 'jewell dual' where Matty & Alyce go head to head on their favourite female designers (outside our Unsung Heroines) and make the case for who was the best, with the final decision being left up to you…
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To round off our sixth season Golden Girls: Unsung Heroines of Jewellery, we welcome a very special guest, Juliet Weir-de La Rochefoucauld, author of Twenty-First Century Jewelry Designers: An Inspired Style. Juliet is a Dublin native but is now based in France, so we were so lucky that she could join us in our studio when she was in town to give u…
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Our fourth and final Golden Girl this season is the incredible Elsa Peretti. Described by Vogue as “arguably the most successful woman ever to work in the jewellery field", was an Italian jewellery designer and philanthropist as well as a fashion model. Joining us all the way from Boston to discuss the legendary Tiffany designer is jewellery histor…
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In part 3 of our sixth season Golden Girls, we jet off to Finland to meet Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm and learn about the life of one of the most one-of-a-kind jewellery designers in history, the wonderful Alma Pihl. Ulla comes from a great jewellery family herself, her great-grandfather was St. Petersburg goldsmith Alexander Tillander, a supplier to…
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In Part 2 of our sixth season - Golden Girls - we go on another jaunt to Paris (yep that's two weeks in a row!) to find out all we can about the life of the incredible French designer Suzanne Belperron. The life of Suzanne Belperron really does read like a Hollywood movie with secret love affairs, war, scandal, intrigue, mystery and heroism galore!…
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Gem Pursuit is back with season 6, Golden Girls - Unsung Heroines of Jewellery! We jet off to Paris for our first excursion (of many) this season, to find out more about one of the first women to blaze a trail in the jewellery industry - Jeanne Toussaint! Appointed Director of Fine Jewellery by Louis Cartier in 1933, Jeanne Toussaint was the origin…
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In this Bonus Bank Holiday Special episode, we wanted to mark the recent passing of the founder of Courtville, Catherine "Kitten" Pierse by having a chat about the history of how Courtville began and how much of what was started by Kitten so long ago and continued by her daughter Gráinne has been carried through to what we at Courtville are all abo…
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Part VII - Religous Symbols Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' In the final part of this series, we probably bite off a bit more than we can chew by trying to cover the topic of religious symbols in one hour-long podcast… We mainly discuss symbols from …
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Part VI - Serpents Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' In the penultimate episode of this series, we take a look at the mysterious and often misunderstood symbol that is the serpent. The snake has been an extremely popular motif in jewellery down through…
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Part V - Mourning Motifs in Jewellery Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' Long before the modern phrase 'YOLO' (you only live once) entered common parlance, a similar sentiment has been expressed since ancient times through the latin expression 'Memento …
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Part IV - Victorian Flower Language Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' The Victorian period was a time when self-expression wasn't really advised so if you wanted to show somebody how you felt, you had to get creative. One of the amazing ways they did t…
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Part III - Symbols of the Sea in Jewellery Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' In this episode we do a deep dive into the unknown and the unknowable deep blue ocean. As always we talk about the origin and evolution of these motifs and then get our hands …
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Part II - Celestial Motifs Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' This week we are looking to the skies and thanking the gods for celestial symbols that have been inspiring beautiful art & jewellery for longer than anyone can remember. Producer: Ross Hannon…
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Part I - The Claddagh Ring Our fifth season of Gem Pursuit feat. Matthew Weldon & Alyce Ketcher is called 'Treasured Tokens: the Secret Language of Jewellery' We go back to the origins of this extremely popular Irish symbol of love, loyalty and friendship to discover that its history stretches back a little further than one might think... We try to…
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It's a little Gem Pursuit bonus episode, featuring an interview with Matty's Dad and one of the foremost experts on antique Irish silver, Jimmy Weldon. We sat down for a lovely chat (rudely cut short by a very loud machine on the street - the perils of recording in Dublin city!) about the history of silver in Ireland, how to spot a good piece of si…
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It's the final instalment in our Firm Favourites series, and we're back to Paris for a bumper episode about the one and only jewellery giant that is Cartier. King Edward VII famously described Cartier as "the Jeweller of Kings and the King of Jewellers" but as you'll learn in this episode, he wasn't the only one who thought so. Among other things w…
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Part 5 (or perhaps it should be part V) of our Firm Favourites series, is the Ancient Rome-inspired luxury jewellery house BVLGARI. This Italian giant led the way in so many ways during the last century of fine jewellery design. We talk serpent motifs, coin collections, chunky yellow gold, cabochon cuts and, of course, Elizabeth Taylor! As always, …
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Part 4 of our 'Firm Favourites: Jewellery Houses That Reign' series is about the King of Diamonds himself, Harry Winston. The American's love of precious gems was legendary and it would be hard to find a diamond of note that didn't pass through his hands at some stage or another. Matty and Alyce swap stories about some of his most well-known acquis…
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